Sabotage Attack on Berlin Power Grid Leaves 45,000 Households Without Electricity

A significant power outage struck the southwestern districts of Berlin on the morning of Saturday, January 3, 2026. The disruption affected approximately 45,000 residential properties and around 2,200 commercial businesses. Authorities quickly determined that the cause was a deliberate act of sabotage targeting high-voltage cables situated near the Lichterfelde gas power plant, specifically on a bridge spanning the Teltow Canal.

The far-left extremist organization known as Vulkangruppe claimed responsibility for the attack. In an online manifesto, the group asserted that the action was a protest against what they termed the insatiable energy greed fueling the expansion of artificial intelligence data centers. The resulting damage was extensive: five high-voltage and ten medium-voltage cables were rendered inoperable due to fires ignited by incendiary devices. This infrastructure failure occurred amidst severe frost and heavy snowfall, severely complicating matters for vulnerable populations, including hospitals and elderly care facilities located in areas such as Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, and Wannsee.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner issued a strong condemnation, labeling the incident an act of terrorism and demanding an immediate escalation in security measures. Reflecting the gravity of the situation, the investigation was formally transferred to the Federal Public Prosecutor General's Office on January 7, 2026. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classifies Vulkangruppe as a decentralized and violence-oriented entity. Reports suggest this group has been linked to a string of attacks against critical infrastructure across Berlin and Brandenburg since 2011. Notably, this same organization was responsible for setting fire to high-voltage pylons in March 2024, which caused a multi-day shutdown at the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg.

The political fallout highlighted existing divisions regarding domestic security strategies. Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt, who assumed office in May 2025, characterized the event as a calculated attack executed with intimate knowledge of the system, suggesting a resurgence of left-wing terrorism within Germany. In the context of this incident, Dobrindt’s ministry had recently been advancing draft legislation mandating the retention of IP addresses for three months. Countering this, Felix Banaschak, the federal chairman of the Alliance 90/The Greens party since November 2024, sharply criticized the government’s response. Banaschak pointed to a lack of concrete crisis management protocols and questioned law enforcement’s inability to apprehend the perpetrators responsible for the attacks that began over a decade ago.

Repair operations are proving challenging due to the persistent low temperatures. Officials anticipate that full restoration of power will not be achieved until Thursday, January 8, 2026, meaning a protracted period of recovery for the affected communities. This event has once again exposed the fragility of Germany’s essential energy systems against politically motivated acts of sabotage. It has simultaneously ignited a critical debate concerning the necessary balance between expanding digital surveillance capabilities and making robust investments to fortify physical infrastructure against such threats.